“Well that makes it hard to decide what to ask,” Daryl objected.
“Does it?”
Daryl smiled. “No, I suppose not. Thank you.”
Karkov nodded in acknowledgment.
“Who are you?” Daryl decided to start with the most obvious question, and one which Karkov could answer. Would he, though?
Karkov looked bored. “I’m me, just like you are you. But that’s probably not what you want to hear. You probably don’t care about the myriad thoughts I had or have or will have. You probably don’t care about the details of my daily routine or my bathroom habits or the particular configuration of cells or synapses or atoms which physically define me at various levels of complexity. Do you see what a silly question this is?”
“Were you the king?” Daryl clarified.
“The king? I’ve been many kings and many peasants and many other things. Which king are you referring to? King Arthur? No. King Tut? No. King Rhimhotep? No. In fact, I just made him up. I generally avoid being a king because kings tend to invite scrutiny.”
“Besides, there are all those pesky little issues surrounding succession. As you probably guessed, I have issues in that regard. I would inconvenience everybody by not dying, and you can imagine how that would go. I don’t have to imagine, of course. Let’s just say that once was enough. Well, twice — but they insisted I become king.”
“Now I just do,” he waved in the direction of the Capital, “this. When I want power, which isn’t always. If I want luxury, I just become a rich man. It’s not like the old days, when one had to rule to have any measure of security. Most of the time I just enjoy life, but occasionally the desire to help people possesses me and I get back into politics, so to speak. I do have quite a bit of experience, you know.”
“So that’s why you’re here? To help people?”
Karkov nodded, then shook his head. “Well, you caught me. My last fellow wasn’t so great. That would be your Gracious Leader. Real bozo, in fact. Rin actually did the country a great service by getting rid of him. She should get an award. The new fellow’s not so bad, though. He actually takes advice and has a brain.”
“You chose him?” Daryl couldn’t believe how forthright Karkov was. Did he realize he was admitting to treason? Daryl supposed he wouldn’t care, but something about this openness troubled him. There was another possible reason for it, one which did not bode well for Daryl.
“Well somebody had to. Truth be told, he just was the last man standing.” Karkov smiled. “Turned out for the best, though. And I’m happy about that. I like helping people.”
“But why?”
“Why help people?” Karkov leaned in, inspecting Daryl’s face. “I had no idea you weren’t civic-minded. Now that I get a good look at you, I see that you’ve grown quite a bit.”
Daryl wasn’t sure what Karkov meant, but sensed he was being led astray from the original question.
“The king from the story,” he insisted.
Karkov gave him an impatient expression. “Look, I’m trying to be helpful here. But I really can’t read your mind, kid. What king?”
Daryl relayed an abbreviated version of the story he had been told by Rin.
“Ah, I see. So that’s it, eh?” Karkov seemed amused. “Well, I can’t very well be that king, can I? He ended up entombed.”
This had bothered Daryl as well. “Maybe you escaped.”
Karkov gave Daryl a languid look before responding.
“Well, your intuition isn’t bad. Apparently, he did escape.”
“And what happened?”
Karkov shrugged. “My understanding is that he was down there for almost two centuries. I’m not sure what happened to him during that imprisonment, but when he emerged he was very different.”
“And what is he doing now?” Daryl asked slowly, eyeing Karkov suspiciously.
“Hell if I know. I try to avoid the guy. But I suppose it’s inevitable that we’ll bump into one another eventually.”
“And what happens then?” Daryl prodded.
Karkov sat back and smiled. “Well, aren’t you handy with the questions. Any chance you’d like a job in the Securitad? You already know the language.”
“No thanks,” Daryl replied dryly.
“Why don’t you ask your real question,” Karkov suggested in measured tones.
Daryl suddenly realized the true peril: not that he’d be killed, but that Karkov would get bored and leave.
Almost as if in response to Daryl’s unspoken worry, Karkov smiled and slowly shook his head. “I tell you what, I’ll give you two more questions. Pick carefully.”
After a few seconds of silence, he yawned. “Should I bring a chess timer? With a name like Karkov, I should have a chess timer.”
Daryl didn’t laugh, and Karkov rolled his eyes but waited.
Finally, Daryl asked his first question. “Who is Rin?” Karkov’s eyes narrowed.
Remembering the lecture occasioned by his earlier question, Daryl quickly corrected himself. “What is Rin?”
“First, tell me why you have such an interest in Rin?”
Daryl decided there was no reason to be coy. “I want to kill her.” Surely, Karkov could sympathize. After all, it sounded like she was hunting him. “Don’t you too?” he ventured, after a moment.
“No,” came the simple reply. It took twenty seconds before Karkov broke the awkward silence which followed.
“You do know that you can’t,” he pointed out.
“I have to try.”
Karkov threw up his arms. “Of course you do. Did you bother telling her this. Don’t answer that. Of course you did. It probably turned her on.”
He grumbled to himself in this vein for a few moments before once again noticing Daryl. “You wanted to know who she is.”
“What,” Daryl corrected, sensing a trap.
Karkov smiled. “Indeed. A much better question. You want to kill her, though I cannot fathom why.”
Before Daryl could object, he held up his hand. “Yes, yes, I know the mortal need for glory and all that. It just seems stupid. I’ve got a lot more reason than you, and I still don’t want to kill her. Why would you? Heck, from what I’ve heard she even fucked you. Was it really that bad? I know some guys don’t like older women, but aren’t you taking it a bit far?”
Daryl was fairly certain he was joking, but didn’t laugh. “She is something unnatural.”
“So am I. Why not seek to kill me?” Karkov gave him a pointed look.
Daryl tensed, but this met with a derisive chuckle.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you,” Karkov reassured him. “It just doesn’t make sense to me. But to each his own. Anyway, you need to know what she is. If she’s one of us, there may be a way to kill her. If she’s something else, then perhaps not. Is that it?”
Daryl nodded, and Karkov laughed. “Well she certainly is something else. But yes, she’s basically one of us. Why she wants to destroy everyone, I cannot say. But she is of our kind, if you will.”
He appeared to be lost in thought. After a moment, his attention returned to Daryl but he seemed different, suddenly weary of the conversation and distracted.
“Your second question?” There was impatience in the tone.
Daryl didn’t need to think about this one. “Is she the evil Queen?”
Karkov laughed again. “That certainly would describe her. But what is evil and what isn’t? Unless you know what it means, it makes little sense to ask such a question. And nobody knows what it means. It’s an arbitrary concept, an epithet to sling at enemies.”
“What was evil in one time is good in another. What one person considers evil another does not. Even then, is it intent or consequence which defines good and evil? Is an accidental good still good? What of its progenitor? An action stemming from a false belief may be considered evil but does that make its author evil as well? Is a madman or fool evil? What of a child who does not know better? These are tiresome questions asked by tiresome men. The wise know better than to debate the meaning of their own inventions.” Karkov was about to conclude on this note, but apparently had a change of heart.
“I apologize; I’m being quite the bore, taxing you like this. You went to great lengths to find answers, and I’ve toyed with you for my own satisfaction. It’s an important lesson to learn, I suppose, that a young fool becomes an old fool, and I remain enraptured by the sound of my own voice.”
“I’ll give you one piece of advice, though of course you won’t heed it until it’s too late. Do not underestimate Rin’s capacity for self-delusion.”
“What do you mean?” Daryl was unsure what to make of the man’s speech or his purpose in giving it. He had a vague suspicion that Karkov needed an audience. Perhaps it wasn’t enough to be enraptured by his own voice; he needed someone else to be enraptured by it. However, it was not in Daryl’s nature to proffer empty applause for that which he did not understand.
Karkov appraised him for a moment, then gave a brief smile. “She is not evil, but she was a Queen. And now, if you’ll excuse me, we are done.”
With that, he rose to leave.
“Why are you helping me?” Daryl demanded, now more confident his life wasn’t in danger.
Karkov gave an enigmatic smile. “Take good care of her. Every woman has a heart. Even a queen.”
“You know I plan to kill her.”
“By all means,” Karkov chuckled as he took a step toward the door.
Instead of leaving, he returned to his seat and studied Daryl.
“On second thought, I have a favor to ask you. Will you agree?”
Daryl hesitated. What sort of favor could an immortal want of him? “It depends on the favor,” he replied.
Karkov smiled. “A cautious response, but this one is not optional. I want you to tell me a bit about your time with Rin.”
“Know your enemy?” Daryl prompted.
“Something like that. But don’t worry, I don’t expect anything which would compromise her. I just want to know what she was doing with you.”
“Me?” How could anything Daryl did be of interest to someone like Karkov?
“Yes, tell me about these little outings of yours. I hear you’ve been a very busy couple.”
Daryl was relieved. It was a surprisingly reasonable request, at least compared to the other “non-optional” favors he conceivably could have asked. Besides, Karkov seemed to know a great deal already.
“Fine, but I get a third question in return.”
Karkov burst into laughter. “Oh, you are something else. Always seeking an edge.”
Suddenly he grew serious and looked at Daryl closely. “No.”
“Why not? I agreed to do you a favor, so it’s only fair.”
“As I said, it’s not an optional favor. I’m giving you your life, so we’re already square. But that’s not the only reason.”
“Then let me ask it,” Daryl insisted.
Karkov shook his head. “No. I know what you will ask, and you wouldn’t like the answer.”
The scenes between Karkov and Daryl move very quickly!